Data packets are prioritized and controlled in wide area networks (WANs). Typically, control of data packets in a WAN over large networks is a complicated process that is expensive and time consuming. A network engineer may configure various network elements to apply a particular Quality of Service (QoS) to data packets and prioritize transmission of the data packets accordingly.
However, individuals or companies in a small office or home office network environment do not have the finances, time or expertise to implement the same data packet control used for WANs. For example, hiring a traffic engineer to configure each network element within a LAN may be cost prohibitive.